Jason Slaughter: The Goal Isn’t to Build a Cycling City

Jason Slaughter is the creator of Not Just Bikes, a fast-growing YouTube channel about urban planning and urban life. Based in Amsterdam, he often makes videos about why city living in The Netherlands is so good...including the bikes, but not just the bikes. Yet Slaughter grew up in London, Ontario, and many of his most-watched videos feature trenchant analyses of the North American suburban development pattern. He’s also creating a popular series (with five installments so far) on core Strong Towns themes.

We’re excited to welcome Jason Slaughter as this week’s guest on the Strong Towns Podcast. In this episode, Slaughter tells Strong Towns president Chuck Marohn the story of how a half-mile, death-defying walk along a Houston stroad changed everything for him. They talk about why Amsterdam’s renown for its bikeability and bike culture wasn’t an inevitability, and what other cities—from Brussels to Brainerd—can learn from Amsterdam’s example. They also discuss Amsterdam’s safe streets movement, why Slaughter has been surprised by his channel’s growing (and shifting) popularity, and why building a biking city shouldn’t be the goal.

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Additional Show Notes

• Not Just Bikes (YouTube)

• Not Just Bikes (Patreon)

• Not Just Bikes on Twitter

• NJB Live (YouTube)

• NJB Live (Twitch)

• Not Just Bikes — Strong Towns Series

• Related Strong Towns Content

  • “Can the Dutch Strategy for Cycling Work in North America?” by Aubrey Bryon

  • “Choosing the Car Free Life” (Podcast)

  • “Turning our family’s unremarkable day-to-day into something remarkable,” by Chris and Melissa Bruntlett

  • “How a bike will save you money (and you don't even have to give up your car),” by Rachel Quednau